Samsung's Gear 360 from last year was a pretty neat little camera. Like many similar products, it recorded 360-degree video with two fish-eye lenses. But it had a few faults - it only officially worked with Galaxy phones, and it was fairly expensive at $350. Alongside the Galaxy S8, Samsung revealed a new model of the Gear 360.

Starting off with the design, the tripod mount of the original Gear 360 has been replaced with a non-moving grip handle (you can still sit it upright if you want). It's both smaller and lighter than the first model, clocking in at just 130 grams. Because it's an action cam, the Gear 360 has IP53 dust and water protection.

The cameras are both 8.4-megapixel lenses, and can shoot 360-degree video in 4K at 24fps. It has a 1,160mAh battery, 2.4/5ghz Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 4.1 (strangely not Bluetooth 5, which the S8 supports). For storage, it has a microSD card slot.

Unfortunately, the camera is still limited to Samsung devices - but this time, some iOS phones are supported as well. Seriously, Samsung? No pricing has been announced yet, but hopefully it will be less expensive than the original Gear 360 was at launch.

Press Release

SEOUL, Korea – March 29, 2017 – Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. today announced a new Samsung Gear 360, a 4K resolution-capable 360-degree camera with a refined design for easier use. With enhanced features for high-quality content, the Gear 360 is lightweight and compact, offering an expanded Samsung VR ecosystem.

“As consumers turn more to video to share their experiences, we want to deliver accessible and innovative products to make digital content easier to create, share and stream,” said Younghee Lee, Executive Vice President of Global Marketing and Wearable Business, Mobile Communications at Samsung Electronics. “The updated Gear 360 will continue to expand the horizons of what consumers can experience and share.”

Enhanced Features for High-Quality 360 Content Creation

For the first time, the Gear 360 offers 4K video recording for immersive and realistic digital content. Equipped with 8.4-megapixel image sensors and Bright Lens F2.2 on both dual fisheye lenses, the Gear 360 can create high resolution images.

The Gear 360 introduces real-time content sharing. When the Gear 360 is synced with a compatible smartphone or computer, the new device enables users to share their best experiences with high-quality live broadcasting or direct uploading to platforms such as Facebook, YouTube or Samsung VR.

*All functionality, features, specifications and other product information provided in this document including, but not limited to, the benefits, design, pricing, components, performance, availability, and capabilities of the product are subject to change without notice or obligation.

About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Samsung inspires the world and shapes the future with transformative ideas and technologies. The company is redefining the worlds of TVs, smartphones, wearable devices, tablets, digital appliances, network systems, and semiconductor and LED solutions. For the latest news, please visit the Samsung Newsroom at http://news.samsung.com.